Friday, August 23, 2013

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

This little guy is about 24" tall and he is made of cheese cloth and a bit, or well, a lot of starch. Go here to find the tutorial.

Happy Halloween!

First, prayers, hugs, and thoughts of encouragement go out to all those touched by Hurricane Sandy this weekend.Our family was lucky enough to be spared and we are giving thanks. May God help the courage, strength and souls of those picking pieces of this world in these moments as I type these words. It can't be easy, but we hope that with the hope, love and compassion of all in this great Nation that we call all rebuild together.

Light is shining through the wet dark bare branches of the trees this morning. It is cold out, and a bit raw. My government working husband is tele-commuting today since we don't know that public transportation will be able to get hime to and from his office safely. I am breathing a sigh of relief that I can actually have a moment of time to breath deep and write the words that come this morning.

I found felt bags just like these in our local grocery store. The kiddos demanded we bring some home, but Mama of course said, I can make those!! A bit of felt, embroidery floss, a sewing machine and those pictures I took with my phone, these replicas past the kid-test.

I've been working on things as of late. Just as the winds and the rains swept in fear and humility to nature, they also swept in my artistic streak and so putting pencil in hand, I started preparing for the Advent season that will soon be upon us.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Jean, The Artful Parent has a new e-book out The Artful Year: Autumn. Through Monday, October 22nd, you can purchase her book for what you are able to pay...If her regular price is out of your budget, click through to her site and you can name your own price that you can afford. Just remember that e-books take time, energy, and passion to create for all of us. Be generous and the few dollars you'd spend on a latte to the mom who is sharing her talent!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Not from a pattern. Just a little playing around. Sewing, for the sake of sewing. Put aside the camera, shun the thoughts of another blog tutorial and just stitch. It was quite wonderfully organic. And very relaxing until I had to figure out how to piece together the orange trim from not-enough-scraps from another project.

The kiddos sure were surprised. And they began right away filling their treat buckets with everything not-Halloween; aka, cars, babies, and trains.

I am so overwhelmed by the positive responses and promises of help I've gotten for the Giving Bag collection. Thank you to all who are sewing, embroidering, and collecting out there! My goal is to collect 200 tote bags for The Giving Heart charity in Richmond, Virginia and I've already received my first few in the mail! Thank you! The bags pictured above are ones I made of duck cloth canvas and are waiting for children to decorate them!

If you are interested in donating, go here to find out more. Here are a couple of the mentions I've found around town! (If you've blogged about this donation drive, send me a note at abbieipark(at)gmail(dot)com. I'd love to hear from you!)

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

This weekend a little sand, ocean, Christopher Columbus, a muscle car show and drag racing the lights until 2 am, OC Maryland, family time with grandparents, a little unplugged time, end of season Maryland blue crabs, and then returning to a crashed laptop, a skin rash, and a head cold...so are the ups and downs of this ride called life.

Coming up soon, some progress news on The Giving Heart bag collection, other crafting for charity ideas, and that fabric printing how-to I promised. My, so much to do! Hope you are moving right along too!

Welcome!

Hello, I am glad you came. Abbie Living is the place where I share my sewing, knitting, and crafting projects and most importantly, share my passion for helping others in need.

I've lived in impoverished places where children run with no shoes, play without toys, and face a future of hard labor. I knew I would return home to a quiet desk office wearing dress shoes and drinking lattes.

As I grew into a wife, a mother of three, and began my journey as a child of God, I chose a different path. Guided by the Holy Spirit and the memory of the people I'd met in rural Mexico, I decided to combine my creative talents with my passion for giving to create more for those in need.

Here in this space I hope to encourage and inspire others to actively live their talents and share their passions with others so we all can make a better world.